Teenagers And Premarital Sex: Causes -By Grace Busayo Kappo

Premarital sex simply put, is the act of having sexual intercourse with someone who is not married. From another perspective, it is penetrative sexual intercourse between couples before a formal marriage. Words to used describe premarital sex include love making, youthful sex and fornication. However, the word fornication isn’t always used because it had a negative connotation.

Premarital sex in contemporary society has become worrisome, as the issue is treated without “any big deal. There are several factors to consider when we look at the reasons teenagers engage in premarital sex. These include the absence of good parenting skills, peer pressure, religion, age of students, living arrangements, and many more to mention but a few.

To better understand the issue of premarital sex among teenagers, some parents do not talk to their children about the implications of premarital sex. They believe the child is too young to know about sex or talking about it will make them curious to explore sex beyond the moral limits. Contrary to this belief, it should be noted that parents are the primary educators of their children. And cultivating the habit of talking about sex will reduce the child’s ignorance about premarital sex. Therefore, it is implored that Parents should cultivate the habit of talking about sex to their children, so they will be made aware of how having premarital sex can negatively affect their lives.

For instance, a mother should feel comfortable about educating her young child about sex to guide the choices such a child makes when puberty occurs. As this stage is characterized by a lot of bodily development where the child begins to experience some changes not only in a physical sense but also emotionally. To understand this point, research has shown that, Oxytocin allows females to bond with the most significant people in their life, and makes them bond more during intimate contact. Vasopressin is very similar to Oxytocin, except that it is primarily released in the brain of males. This hormone causes him to bond more with the female during intimate contact. Some people even call it ‘Commitment Hormones’.
Proper sexual education from the parent will enable the child to handle such a situation. additionally, parents should also work on building some level of trust and understanding around their children. This would encourage the young child to feel comfortable about engaging their parents around such issues.

Another factor to consider when discussing why teenagers engage in premarital sex is peer pressure. The need to belong and feel accepted in a particular group makes Some teenagers take the wrong advise from their friends. These are some of the things actually within school premises. The lack of knowledge surrounding sexual education, and the negative advise received from friends make these teenagers feel pressured to get into a relationship which could invariably lead to sex. However, in situations where the knowledgeable parent has properly educated their child, making such a poor decision to take advise from friends could be reduced drastically.

In conclusion, it has been researched that, premarital sex leads to unwanted pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, regrets, guilt, loss of self-respect, depression, and even suicidal death. Teenagers attempt suicide just because their partner leaves them, some suffer from low self-esteem. And parental neglect could force a child into a relationship with the opposite sex. These and more are some of the things premarital causes. Therefore, teenagers should not to engage in premarital sex, until they know how to take preventive measures or are strong enough to take disappointment from their partners, because sex is a thing of the mind and soul, and not just the body alone.

Kappo, Grace Busayo.
Lagos State University